Conclusions: Conservation in the Anthropocene - Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Change - page 178

and heathlands maintained by traditional techniques that foster re-engagement with the
land. Buffer zones and areas of low intensity, sustainable use complement wilderness/strictly
protected areas in multifunctional landscapes that combine biodiversity conservation, food
security, livelihoods, as well as supporting cultural, aesthetic, and spiritual values (Fischer
et al. 2012, Tscharntke et al. 2012, von Wehrden et al. 2014). There is vast potential for integrat-
ing palaeoecology, historical ecology, and other long-term data into sustainable, multidisci-
plinary studies of landscapes that include scientific, cultural, and social dimensions (Wu
2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, O'Farrell and Anderson 2010).
Summary: using palaeoecology to manage dynamic landscapes
in the Anthropocene
Conservation in the Anthropocene requires collaborative efforts to understand the complex-
ities of environmental change and its impacts on ecological integrity and ecosystem services
at a range of temporal and spatial scales. Conservation has been described as a 'crisis disci-
pline' and it is indeed true that urgent actions are needed to mitigate the effects of changing
climate, habitat loss, pollution, and consumption patterns that are driving the Earth's life
support systems towards a dangerous tipping point (Rockström et al. 2009, Hughes et al. 2013,
Barnosky et al. 2014).
Faced with seemingly overwhelming environmental and societal challenges on the one
hand, and a blind faith in technocentric solutions on the other, there has been a tendency to
overlook the vast potential of environmental archives in understanding the resilience of eco-
logical systems, their capacity to adapt and the role of this information in defining the 'safe
operating space for humanity' (Rockström et al. 2009, Van der Leeuw et al. 2011, Costanza
et al. 2014). This book is an attempt to capture some of the potential of long-term data in
resolving the pressing environmental problems of today, while maintaining options and
resilience for the future (Redman and Kinzig 2003, Costanza et al. 2007). Exploring this
potential further will require a willingness of conservation scientists, palaeoecologists, policy
makers, and many other stakeholders to engage in a process of collaborative, interdisciplin-
ary learning, with the common aim of developing shared visions for resilient landscapes that
that can sustain ecosystem services and adaptive capacity.
A landscape approach provides a nexus for sustainability science and ecology in the
Anthropocene. Developing a range of protected area models and integrating biodiversity
conservation with food production in multifunctional landscapes can contribute to sustain-
able development and enhance biodiversity conservation, resilience, adaptive capacity and
ecosystem services provision in the Anthropocene (O'Farrell and Anderson 2010, Cumming,
2011, Fischer et al. 2012, Reyers et al. 2012, Wu 2012, 2013, Cumming et al. 2013, Opdam et al.
2013, Corson et al. 2014, von Wehrden et al. 2014). Our ability to manage and understand land-
scapes effectively depends on developing a past-present-future perspective that is inclusive,
flexible and adaptive, and optimistic (Biggs et al. 2011, Reyers et al. 2012, Rist et al. 2012, Rogers
et al. 2013, Gillson and Marchant 2014).